This is just a warning to those Americans who come to Holland expecting a clean living, healthy society. Wrong! Like many European countries the Dutch are addicted to cigarettes and tobacco products. They have been very slow to inform their countrymen of the health dangers of smoking. The Dutch have never been known to be overprotective, and their historical trade in addictive substances (chocolate, tobacco, alcohol, marijuana, etc.) have made it hard for them to judge another person’s vices. But as the aging population succumbs to smoking related heart and lung diseases, the economic impact will surely be felt thanks to subsidized medicine.

In recent years the first anti-smoking campaigns have put billboards on the streets and hopefully their children are being discouraged from picking up the habit. However if you’re hoping to find a smoke free restaurant, cafe, pub or coffeeshop (haha, lots of marijuana AND tobacco smoke there), you’re outta luck! In the summer sitting outdoors can help (if you’re not downwind), but in poor weather, most places lack good ventilation, and you will probably inhale a cig or two with your beer or meal!

Recent studies have put Holland at or near the top in per capita tobacco consumption in Europe. Almost 40% of all Dutch adults smoke tobacco. The percentage among women has climbed dramatically in recent years. Economic and political pressure has made the Dutch very reluctant to fight tobacco companies because the tobacco tax revenues are a huge part of the national budget. But of course this will be outweighed when the entire society bears the economic brunt of millions of citizens dying early (hey, but then they get to save on pensions, no?).

Fountain in Red Light District

The Dutch have a much more liberal attitude towards sex than just about any other country. Sure there’s conservative small towns that don’t allow prostitution in their district, but by and large prostitution is an institution in Holland. That is, it is regulated and taxed like any industry. Workers are given regular health checks, they have a very vocal union, even pensions. The sex industry is huge in Holland, and they export many products including videos and sex toys. In the larger cities there are many sex supermarkets, some several stories tall. Videos, books and magazines run the gamut from straight and gay sex, S&M, to beastiality to child pornography (the last two are technically illegal, but readily available). If you can’t find what you’re looking for in one of these, it doesn’t exist! In addition these places also screen movies, have sex ‘cabins’ where you can view a movie and have sex, too. There are numerous private clubs that cater to every type of sexual fantasy or fetish. If you can’t get it off in Holland, you’ve really got a problem!

Amsterdam’s Red Light District is world famous for the number of prostitutes who cavort in front of windows in narrow alleyways and more busy streets. Red lights abound and some of the more popular ladies have a line outside. Fetish shops feature leather and studs with every kind of novelty item.

But your ordinary Dutchman is not impressed by all this as they’ve known all about sex since they were kids. In fact when kids reach the ripe age of 14, they are sometimes encouraged to have sex by their parents. It’s seen as something natural and healthy. In fact some disabled Dutchmen have been able to convince the government to increase their stipend to include the services of a sex worker once a month to ensure their health.

Sex can even be art in Holland. I’ve seen a show on TV on the KunstCanal (art channel) which consisted of an endless loop of a penis ejaculating. Nothing else, no bodies, no faces, just a penis. On public TV! How do you follow THAT act?

Like most northern European countries, the Dutch view sex and love as two very different things. Sex is something to be experienced spontaneously without expectations or hang-ups. Sexual relationships can coexist with loving ones. But that doesn’t rule out jealousy. Of course every society has its prudes, but in a place like Holland, they are a minority and often considered “country folk”.

Probably the biggest form of recreation and exercise for the Dutch is bicycling through parks and countryside. The excellent network of bicycle paths (fietpads) can take you from any point to any other point in Holland, safely. I wonder if all this emphasis on bicycle riding besides being so healthy is also responsible for the Dutch being so tall. After all it does really stretch those legs!

Whether it’s on the thousands of canals, or out on lakes or the vast waterway in the north, Boating is very popular among the Dutch. Outings are big occasions and friends and family usually make a day of it. Even downtown Amsterdam’s canals turn into festive sights as boat after boat of merry makers pass under bridges waving at onlookers. Don’t miss an opportunity to join them! On the rare occasion when the canals are frozen, the Dutch take to the ice on skates.

When the weather allows, picnics are a popular pastime at Holland’s parks or beaches. These can be very elaborate with multi-course meals, champagne, even candelabra!

Movies are very popular in Holland and all are shown in the original language with Dutch subtitles, never dubbed. That’s another reason why the Dutch speak English and other languages so well.

The arts are alive and well in Holland thanks to a very advanced form of subscriptions that allow an infinite selection of shows, concerts, class, etc. Each year the UitMarkt is a weekend event that highlights the coming arts season with free performances of plays, music and other art previews.

Travel is something ingrained in the Dutch blood, from their days as the world’s greatest traders. They love to take vacations, especially during the bleak winters, to exotic destinations using the all-inclusive hotel package popular in Europe. For one price they get a room or apartment in say Turkey, Morocco, or Bali that includes meals. These deals can be great bargains, and it’s worth inquiring about if you plan an onward journey from Holland. Just stop in any travel agency and pickup the brochures to the destinations that interest you. It’s often much cheaper to book a trip in Holland than in the U.S. Of course independent travel is popular with young people and the Dutch get 4 to 6 weeks (paid vacation) off each year in which to explore the planet.

Holland is a monarchy, with Queen Beatrix as the sovereign head of state. The Dutch love the queen, perhaps more than the English love Queen Elisabeth. Recently there was an uproar among the Dutch because Crown Prince Willem decided to marry his sweetheart, an Argentinian. It’s well known that her father, a powerful minister in Argentina, may be partly responsible for thousands of missing people who disappeared when right wing death squads kidnapped left wing radicals after the fall of Salvadore Allende’s liberal government. To make matters worse, the whole royal family, including Queen Beatrix and her ailing husband attempted to explain their decision to allow the wedding to go forward, live on TV in front of the entire country. Not only don’t the Dutch approve of this marriage, but the whole royal family looked ridiculous trying to make sense of it!

Politics is a favorite topic of discussion in Holland. You can debate the latest laws, discuss scandals and politicians with any Dutchman, but be prepared, because they are very opinionated. It seems the Dutch spend far more time discussing the issues than doing anything about them. However when they do decide to take action it is in the widely acceptable form of open protest and demonstration. All it takes is a little organization and any cause can become a popular cause if it catches the current sentiment. However causes are like fads in Holland and what was popular one year becomes “old-fashioned” the next.

Holland has accepted its role as an International mediator by hosting the World Court in Den Haag. It also is home to GreenPeace and Friends of the Earth. Now with full participation in the EU, Holland is being pressured to conform in ways that are unusual for the Dutch.

The riot police crackdown during the EU Summit in Amsterdam in June 1997 was something never seen before in the Netherlands. 607 people were arrested (many more detained), foreigners deported, people denied due process, and the only damage was to a flower bed, a broken window and flags removed. An entire train full of 200 Italian protesters was not allowed to disembark (supposedly they damaged the train), and they were all sent back to Italy without any processing. This seems to be the new way to handle protests, beat ’em up, lock ’em up, send ’em home, and keep the media from seeing any of it. Sound familiar? Let’s hope the Dutch can retain their civility in the face of international pressure to become a police state. After all the English, Germans, French and especially the Americans have seen fit to interfere with the Netherlands’ sovereignty concerning their laws about drugs. So now it’s protests, what next? Can the Dutch tolerance survive this onslaught of Big Brother?

Update: Prince Willem Alexander married his Argentinian fiancee in a huge ceremony that paralyzed Amsterdam and the country for a day. It was done with all the pomp and ceremony tradition required, and it seems almost everyone loved it (an egg was tossed at the gilded carriage as they road thru the streets of Amsterdam!).

Amsterdamse Bos

 

The Dutch are quite fond of their many parks and their long coastline. A Dutch park is a marvel of design. Most towns and cities in Holland have a large park making a border or buffer zone. The one south of Amsterdam is called the Amsterdamse Bos. These regional parks are a bit more wild than those found in the cities. Typically a large park will have various paths and roads, each one designed for a certain type of transport. You have your footpaths for pedestrians, usually dirt. Bicycle paths for bikes (fietspad), sometimes paved, sometimes dirt, horse trails with deep sand, and roads for automobiles. What’s amazing is that they all go in different directions, allowing visitors a unique experience depending upon their chosen mode of transport. Only occasionally do the paths and roads cross or join up for a short distance.

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Holland has one of the world’s great socialist systems where the government attempts to see to all the needs of it’s inhabitants regardless of cost. It’s extremely idealistic and the economic reality of such a system means that the Dutch also have one of the highest tax rates in the world. This funds an excellent medical system, one of the most efficient and diverse transit systems, complete welfare and subsidy system for those people in need.

The Dutch government cares for it’s citizens from cradle to grave and they have it good compared to America. However the enormous cost of this system has caused the government to begin cutbacks. In the last few years new laws have begun to penalize those who don’t work. Still, the Dutch can look forward to the standard six week paid vacation, lots of paid sick days and holidays to boot. Work always takes a back seat to the more important things of life. Something Americans have never figured out.

The Dutch have a great attitude towards those who are ill. Doctors treat the person, taking as much time as necessary to root out the problem. They are willing to try new treatments (many that haven’t been approved in America). And even for emergency treatment, the patient always comes first. That means that paying the bill is not the first thing on everyone’s mind. My friend needed emergency and ongoing treatment from a physician and was thrilled to be treated like a human being. He was surprised his offer for cash payment at the emergency room was turned down with “we’ll send you a bill”. Typically that bill and others from his doctor take about six months to arrive, and are usually very reasonable (about $40 for the emergency room visit including treatment). It makes you wonder where we went wrong with our medical system. Update: After a recent doctor’s strike, prices for medical care have risen quite a bit in a short period. But it’s still a bargain.

If you aren’t Dutch or didn’t study Dutch in school, then don’t even think of trying to speak it! You’ll be chastised by everyone in Holland. They frown upon anyone trying to speak Dutch who hasn’t got a good handle on it. It IS a difficult language for most to master. It’s only spoken and understood in a few places around the world, so why learn it? Most Dutch in the cities speak English very well anyway. If you want to learn the language there are courses available at the Universities, and for many people wanting to live and work in Holland it is essential. If you’re going to be in Holland for an extended stay you can pick up some useful expressions that will serve you in daily transactions, but don’t get your hopes up that they’ll accept your attempts.

I think the reluctance of Dutch people to help others learn the language is no reflection on us visitors, but more on their own attitudes towards their language. There’s a lot of regional variation and dialects. And there’s been an ongoing debate about how the Dutch language should look in it’s written form that still hasn’t been decided. Many times I’ve asked my friends how to pronounce a word, only to hear two completely different versions. Those in the south of Holland use a softer version of the language with more rounded ‘g’ sounds. While up north they use a harder ‘g’ sound. And in Friesland they say their language is closer to English than Dutch (not that I can notice). Most Dutch can’t understand the Frieslander’s Frysk.

Dutch is similar to German, but it seems more Dutch can speak and understand German than the other way around. In fact the Dutch are some of the most multi-lingual people on the planet. English, German, French, Indonesian and Spanish are some of their second and third or fourth languages. Dutch immigration has added Moroccan, Turkish and Chinese to the language mix. Thanks to tourism and their history of trade, the Dutch have always had an easy time with languages. Of course I think once you’ve mastered Dutch, the rest are easy! Then again, since Dutch is not widely spoken, it helps to know another language.

The Dutch seem to have an endless fascination with trendy fashions and imported culture. In addition the Dutch are very creative when it comes to initiating new fads. One example is the Big Brother TV & internet show which originated in Holland, where it became a big hit, then the Germans copied it and finally the Americans had to have their own version. Of course by that time the Dutch edition was “old fashioned”, and washed up. Another popular show which is due to be copied in the U.S. is the one where the Dutch pay 1000 guilders to people to do outrageous things in public. Like baring their asses and getting whipped (I’m not making this up!). For some reason this appeals to the Dutch psyche and I predict it will be a big hit in America (it’s already on the Internet).

Another popular trend in Holland is the willingness to expose one’s secrets and flesh on TV. There was this one show where a very sexy, scantily clad woman would interview scantily clad guests in a bed on the set. Often she would ask them to remove what little clothing they had and expose themselves. Believe it or not, this seems very healthy. If we don’t keep secrets from each other, we can be our true selves. Besides making for fascinating entertainment and gossip, it therefore has therapeutic value (catharsis) for the individual and the culture as a whole.

The Dutch seem to be almost obsessed with American fashions. Designer clothes, Hollywood movies, slang, etc. The U.S. is a major destination for vacations and most Dutch make several trips to visit the states.

The Dutch have a vibrant, diverse economy. Oil, Electronics, Banking, Tourism, Pharmaceuticals, Tulips, Dairy farming and Agriculture are the big industries in Holland. Many of the biggest companies are partially owned by the royal family including Royal Dutch Shell, KLM, and the biggest banks. Unemployment in recent years has been so low it’s staggering, about 2%. The Dutch are desperate for skilled workers especially in high tech fields. Other large Dutch companies include Phillips Electronics, ABN-AMRO Bank, Ahold (food). These are huge multinationals that are presently buying up businesses in other countries including the US. So you might say the Dutch are entering their second ‘Golden Age’.

The Dutch banking system is rather unique. Personal checks are rarely used in Holland. Instead they have a system of Giros which are like a check, except you’re often expected to present it to your own bank to credit someone else’s account at another bank. In other words, only your bank processes your giros. At least that’s how I figure it. Credit card use is minimal since the Dutch don’t like paying interest. Smart cards (debit cards with a chip) have been in use for years. They can be used for phone calls or to get cash from special machines (not ATMs). You can transfer money from your account into the chip, which then dispenses the money or pays for services as you use it. So it’s like having cash, without the currency in your pocket.

In general the Dutch are very secretive about money and won’t discuss their own situation at all. They’ll all talk about everyone else, but themselves. The Dutch currency is perhaps some of the most striking on the planet. Colorful, with great graphics, images, watermarks, metal strips, shiny inks they are virtually irreproducible. Unfortunately, the Euro will be introduced on Jan 1st, 2002, and then all those beautiful colored banknotes will be gone.

The Dutch have a great fondness for money and horde all they can. It’s the national pastime. Getting a Dutchman to part with a guilder can be a difficult task. The only thing worse is trying to do business with them. I’m not sure if it’s a clan mentality, but it’s definitely a by-product of the system of guilds that locked business into the hands of those who “belong”. To an outsider this is daunting, and can be an insurmountable obstacle.

Fortunately the EU has brought about much change at last to the way the Dutch do business. In fact any foreign company can establish itself in any EU country, then do business in all the others without all the hassles of dealing with each government separately. Likewise workers can freely move around the EU and find suitable work and live wherever they choose. Of course you must be a national of an EU country to do this! So you now find an influx of Spanish, French, Italians applying for jobs in Holland. Good thing, as their skills are needed!